Charles h



(No Model.)

G. H. DAVIDS. PNEUMATIC TIRE.

No. 541,075. Patented June 18, 1895.

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NIT-E. STATES FFICE.

ATENT STEWART, OF NEW? YORK, N. Y.

PNEUMATIC TIRE.

, SPECIFICATION forming part of ,Letters: Patent No. 541,075, dated June18, 1895.

' Application filed August 25,1894. $2 No. 521,279. (to model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. DAVIDS, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Pneumatic Tires for Vehicles, of which the following is aspecification. My invention relates, principally, to that class ofpneumatic tires known as single tube tires which have no inner air tube;and

the objects of my improvements are, first, to provide means formechanically fastening such ,tiresto wheel rims; second, to provide foraccess to theinteriors of air chambers in pneumatic tires for thepurpose of making repairs, and, third, to provide means for theautomatic stoppage of leakage of air through joints or punctures in suchtires, and by the same means, indicate the location of such leakage.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section throughthe tire and rim, showing the parts assembled and tire inflated.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the tire when opened,

and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of a tire containingliquid.

In the matter of fastening the tire to the wheel rim or felly, thoseparts of each which are in contact with parts of the other arepractically identical in form and manner of use with corresponding partsof many well known tiresand rims, viz: the edges of the rims haverecesses into which fit the corners of the tires. Such arrangement ofparts is, therefore, not broadly claimed.

In my-improved tire, the sole or tread A, the corners a, a, and a lid B,all preferably joined in one piece, compose the whole of the tire; thelatter having a seam or joint 0 in or adjacent to the lid B andextending throughout the inner circumference of the tire. The facesforming said joint are of such contour as will best insure an air tightclosure when the joint (Jis closed. In the drawings the face 0 is shownas concave and the face 0 as convex in cross section.

The lid B at its edge, opposite the joint 0, is preferably attached tothe tread A by a thin portion of flexible material which forms a hingea. The lid B may, however, if desired, be formed entirely separate fromthe'tread A and two joints, like the one 0 shown, may be provided tohold the former in position in the latter. Moreover, where internalrepairs will not. be needed, the lid B formed as herein shown, anddescribed, may be permanently attached to the tread A at both of itsedges. The lid B or corners a, a or all of'these, should be, to someextent, both elastic and compressible, and of such relative proportionsas to make the joint 0 air tight, and, also to hold the corners a, afirmly engaged in the recesses, 6, 6 of the rim E when the tire isattached to the rim. The lid B should be somewhat wider from edge toedge than the space which it occupies in the tire when the latter isclosed, and it should also be sufficiently flexible to permit itsintroduction, in a flexed form, between the corners a, a when the latterare in their respective recesses e, e and its resiliency should sufficeto furnish the amount. of compression requisite for-the above mentionedpurposes, when it has, as far as possible, resumed its original formafter insertion, as aforesaid, between the corners a, a. In order tofurther insure its efficiency in this respect, it is deemed advisable togive the lid B an arched form in cross section, the extrados b of thearch, being within the tire. Grooves b may be formed in the convex faceof lid B and extendlongitudinally along it and should be of such formpreferably with convex sides b that pressure on said convex face of thelid B ,will, by flattening the arch I), close the grooves b to an extentproportionate to said pressure and thus, by increasing the amount ofmaterial brought into resistance against such flattening, greaterstrength is assured for the purpose and likewise more intimate contactbetween the faces of the joint 0 and also between the corners a, a-andthe rim.

It is quite evident that the lid Bwill press against the corners a, awith considerable force, more especially when the tire is inflated. Thejoint 0, if properly made, will thus, by compression, be made perfectlyair tight, and the tire will be firmly attached to the rim by theengagement of the corners a, a in the recesses e, 6; but should there beleakage through the joint 0, by reason of imperfect workmanship ordefects in material, the faces of the joint 0, or one of them, should besmeared or coated with dissolved caoutchouc or some other viscoussubstance, in order to make the joint 0 perfectly air tight; but thesubstance used for this purpose should not cause the faces of the jointto adhere with such tenacity as to prevent the opening of the joint 0without injury to the tire.

A small quantity of harmless liquid F may be placed in the tire andclay, pulverized charcoal, or some other suitable substance may be mixedtherewith, so as to remain mechanically suspended therein, or thedensity of the liquid may be increased by dissolving therein somesubstance not injurious to the material of which the tire is made. Theobjects of, using this liquid thus prepared are, first, to preventleakage through the joints or punctures in the tire, and,second, toindicate the location of such leaks as are not thus antomaticallystopped. The liquid F by seeping through leaks and depositing therein aportion of its dissolved or suspended matter, efiectually closes such asare of minor extent; and by its appearance on the outer surface of thetire, indicates the exact location of leaks of a more serious nature. a

A stop I) may be formed on the lid B, as shown, and by impinging againstthe rim will prevent the lid B from being forced beyond its point ofgreatest compression from whence, the pressure being removed, it wouldnot antomatically return to its original form and position.

All parts of the tire should be made of material which is sufficientlystrong and impervious to withstand, without leakage, the pressure of airwhich it may be necessary to employ therein, and also sufficientlyflexible for the purpose contemplated.

In operation, the corner a near the joint 0 is placed in thecorresponding recess 6 in the rim E. The faces of the joints C areengaged and the remaining corner a, of the tire is forced into theremaining recess e, the lid B being flexed in the operation sufficientlyto permit the placing of the parts as described. The liquid F, with itssuspended or dissolved matter, being introduced into the tire, thelatter is then inflated through a suitable valve, not shown. Todisconnect the tire from the rim, all air pressure should first beremoved from the tire, after which, by forcing it sidewise against therim, it can readily be removed from the rim.

What I claim is- 1. A pneumatic tire, comprising a flexible tube adaptedto engage a wheel rim and provided with a flexible arched lid, theextrados of the arch being within the tube, the said lid havinglongitudinal grooves along its convex portion and a stop along itsconcave portion for engaging the rim to prevent the lid being forcedbeyond its point of greatest compression, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a wheel rim provided with recesses for receivinga pneumatic tire, of a pneumatic tube having its corners adapted toengage the said recesses, the said corners having concave recessestherein and an arched lid secured to one of the corners of the tube andprovided with rounded edges adapted to enter said concave recesses inthe corners for forming an air tight closure,substantially as set forth.

CHAS. H. DAVIDS.

Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, GEORGE BARRY.

